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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/09/2017 in all areas

  1. I didn't know you were Yetti. Anyways yeah front seat came out. 420 Lb went in. I was seriously gunning for the daily prize, I wanted all the Alpo dog food cans, I could have busted 500 lbs but they were hoarding it, for, get this, Bonanza pilots trying to fix their CG!! Hah! Otherwise I could have whacked the Saratoga that was running in first place. Not every day you pass up a Saratoga while Burning 40% less gas and carrying the load. There is always tomorrow though!
    3 points
  2. Yesterday morning I flew to Cabelas at KOWA. Picked up a neat little flashlight with a nice strobe feature that clips nicely onto my shoulder harness. I also picked up a headlamp that the red light can turn on and off with the push of one button. No need to cycle through the other blinding colors, I have been looking for one like this for years. On the way home I took a detour to fly over the field I woke up in 7 months ago. I can't explain how good it felt to be "here" flying above that field in another Mooney. I miss my old plane but this one is growing on me. Cheers, Dan
    3 points
  3. Oh sure, next you are going to want me to remember anaversaries and birthdays...
    2 points
  4. If you take it apart you will most likely find one of the vanes cocked in its slot and the hub cracked in half. You have nothing to lose at this point so take it apart and show us a picture of the guts.
    2 points
  5. The coupler sheared Just as he feared
    2 points
  6. Who flew along, his vacuum pump in a bucket . .
    2 points
  7. There are going to be people who say the National Hurricane Center did not get this right, but to me they were spot on as far out as a week ago, off by about 100 miles on a journey that started off from the west coast of Africa.
    2 points
  8. Had a few planes take us up on our offer. Still space available! https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/florida-flight-school-moves-planes-to-st-clair-airport-away/article_ad79d758-94df-11e7-987e-2f7cc5d89cc7.html
    2 points
  9. Today's flight was to help some of the folks still suffering the after effects of Harvey on the Texas coast. I pulled the back seats out of the 252 and stuffed it as full as possible with supplies destined to Rockport, Port Lavaca, and other communities on the coast. While on the ramp @jetdriven pulled up also hauling supplies. 375 lbs in each of these fast movers.
    2 points
  10. I plan to crash somewhere civilized, where there are people to come extricate me from my sticken airplane.
    2 points
  11. Communities in East Texas are still hurting. So time to launch and move some supplies. Talking with one of the guys he said the River was 7 miles wide. The government is trying to take care of Beaumont, but the small communities are getting left out. And who says a Mooney is small can can't haul a load Loaded up with about 450 lbs to head down to Rockport in the morning. Rockport took the brunt of the storm and is about 90 % wiped out.
    2 points
  12. I flew a load from Georgetown to West Houston this morning, and there are two other J's at the same time. Also following along was the B-25 Devil Dog! What a great display of people working together. We got the easy and fun part for sure, and I was glad I came down to help. KGTU was running like a well oiled machine receiving, processing, packing and loading the never-ending supply of donations. It sure was great to see so many people helping, and so much happiness on the receiving end. West Houston is a mess. Coming from the west it didn't look terrible, and then BAM, water everywhere just east of the airport. I'm sure it got worse going further east. Even after a week I'm exhausted now after 13-14 hours of flying this weekend in many legs, but I'm sure it is nothing compared to what many are feeling as they try to get back on their feet. There will be an ongoing need for support for a long time, so consider helping if you can! Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
    2 points
  13. I'm of the opinion that the vacuum pump can go when it feels like it. It could be brand new and go in 10 hours or it could go without a hitch for 500 or more hours. I think pumps are dependable. Failures are more often than not due to liquid contamination from washing down the engine or even oil contamination. Also mishandling while installing and improper installation. I carry a spare pump in the airplane just in case mine fails and I'm away somewhere.
    1 point
  14. My last two pumps failed at just over 500 hours. In both cases the coupler sheared, but the veins were still intact. I do wonder if the coupler gets brittle? I still have one, will measure the veins on the last one out of curiosity. It is a rAPCO pump with a vein measuring window. In general, it seems like pumps with more than 500 hours are on borrowed time.
    1 point
  15. Technically this is yesterdays flight.... Flew back from KAPA to KCVO via KJER for fuel yesterday. First leg was VFR at 10,500 with plenty of deviating due to terrain and weather. I had initially planned an earlier fuel stop and partial fuel coming out of KAPA, but later decided to make the fuel stop farther along at KJER due to cost and to get most of the terrain behind me. Climb rate coming out of KAPA wasn't great but there was plenty of room to climb before heading west. Once heading west past Medicine Bow the convective activity and wind had cleared much of the smoke so it was much easier to see the build ups and rain shafts to dodge. Once into KJER and getting fuel(nice fuel stop, minimal terrain, low prices, internet and restrooms available), and then parking like a Cirrus to run in and use their internet to re-file my IFR for the next leg I headed out IFR at 10,000 for the rest of the journey with no real deviation except cutting a corner to go direct DSD to clear some buildups. Past KJER had convective activity to the south but clear until about 50 East of DSD when the smoke came back in. To the south looked really bad with clouds and smoke and the strike finder was displaying a bunch of activity down there. KCVO had a normal cloud layer(not smoke or convective) at about 2500, so I got to fly the RNAV approach back in, and got my hold for currency. KAPA to KJER: 4.3 hours KJER to KCVO : 3.3 hours Important notes: next time I decide to camp and travel and take the tiny bicycle, do it over lower terrain or figure out how to shave off at least 100lbs off the gear collection and/or accept partial fuel and shorter legs. Park like a Cirrus day... That was supposed to be a couple of mostly straight lines...
    1 point
  16. And for grins, a little video of both valves in one cylinder attached below. Pics and video taken with a $40 wireless endoscope, available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYTHWK4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 valves.mp4
    1 point
  17. An all in one solution would be nice. I'm tired of cobbled together 2010s tech with 2ks tech with 60s tech all "kind of" working together through 15 adapter boxes that it takes a avionics tech 5 hours to figure out if something goes wrong.
    1 point
  18. Went to a sort of nearby IMC Club meeting this morning. Wind was calm at home and forecast to be 8 knots there. On arrival, they were using 14, and wind was 060@9G17. And it was bumpy below 3000, field elevation 400. The runway was long (8000'?), so I didnt worry, aligned myself with left wing down but working the yoke and pedals to try and maintain that. Just as I touched down and set the nose down, here goes the left wing up and up! I kept her going pretty straight on the right main and nose, but the wind wasn't slacking and the wing wasn't coming down. Interesting periodic squeals were coming from the two tires on the concrete and we began veering into the wind as airspeed bled down and the rudder became ineffective. I considered firewalling it and trying again, but the grass was nice and wide and let me get control again. Missed all the pretty blue lights and taxied down the far taxiway instead of the near one. A nice looking J with a Plane Cover was tied down on the ramp, sheltering from Irma; it's registered to a company in Ft. Lauderdale, and is one character off from my own number (JJ instead of DJ). After the meeting, there was a break then an EAA meeting. Meanwhile I watched a Cessna depart 14 while the winds had picked up to 070@14G21. He weathervaned a lot, and the wings were rocking as he went by me a couple hundred feet up. Decided discretion was the better part of valor and left myself before it got any worse. Tower updated winds as 060@12G21, and approved Runway 36 on my second request (course home was 346). My takeoff roll may have been 500' including the gust factor, and I climbed out mostly at or above 1000 fpm at 100 mph, with ground speed showing in the mid-90-knot range. Nice and bumpy again, but smoothed out by 3000 or so and was a nice flight at 6500. Coming into home, 3200' long, was also bumpy and interesting. I don't like banking as hard as I did at idle, 20' agl over the asphalt, but the resulting landing was a greaser, I didn't feel any wheels touch. If only someone had been there to see it . . . The joy of being the only flyable plane at your home drome . . . She's safely in the hangar now, and I'm watching every forecaster in the Western Hemisphere keep up the mantra they've been repeating about Irma since at least Tuesday: "it will soon turn to the northwest then north," while we watch it move pretty much due west. If it reaches the Gulf, it will strengthen rapidly back to Cat 5, and all bets are off on its track . . . If she start turning north soon, it will get ugly here late Monday or so, a Mooney hour from Panama City Beach. Ya'll be careful out there!!
    1 point
  19. There once was a man returning from Nantucket . . .
    1 point
  20. Probably less than 1 turn leaner. It's sensitive! -Matt
    1 point
  21. Something that helps to avoid flip overs (specially on high wings) is to have the nose wheel anchored to the ground. This keeps the wing from going into a high pitch angle that increases the lift breaking the tie downs. José
    1 point
  22. Well- still no certification or paperwork. Whelen says they will not PMA or TSO the new product as directed by the Boston MIDO. They will only pursue the STC process. Im worried that they will not include the aircraft I'd like to have on their AML. Just like they have not included aircraft on their AML's in the past. i.e., there is no STC or upgrade path for any lighting on the 525 citation series available. I'm working on a 337 or letter of authorization from OKC that might be in a form of an existing AC... My FSDO has been extreamly helpful but has not granted blanket approval yet. The new Chroma lamps are AWESOME!!! Here are come pictures. The dim one is of the stock lamp C'mon it's a lightbulb!!!! For the record, I removed them prior to flight... -Matt
    1 point
  23. Hi, Mat I actually had a somewhat similar but different issue. On taxi for whatever reason the gear motor would randomly start to cycle. Luckily gear would always remained locked. The initial thought process was that it was the down limit switch. The metal pad that makes contact with the switch was actually adjusted and the problem stopped; however, you cannot adjust the rod too much because it may completely disrupt the rigging. The guys at Willmar weren't convinced this was actually the issue and sent the gear motor out to George's electric in California and said the brake in the actuator looked terrible, so it was ultimately overhauled. So, I think as the guys above said its either one of three things: the actuator, down limit switch or rigging. I would not let someone who does not know this gear well mess with the rigging at all. If your actuator has not been looked at for 30+ years its time to send it out regardless. I think George's overhauled mine for about $500ish
    1 point
  24. Ya I think my Mystical creature in the woods routine is over. I would have chatted, but you jumped in and were gone in a flash. Even the Cessna that left behind you was doing a pre mid field turn out. I think I can out short field some STOL planes on landings after the last few days. The Bonanza that carried pizza earlier in the week, I stepped up on and almost put the tail on the ground. Turn and Burn.
    1 point
  25. Front seats seem kind of redundant when you are hauling boxes. I think I got up to 425 with this load. Texas is big. I need to change my oil.
    1 point
  26. I do like the long flights. But only when solo. When the wife is along, we'll stop every 2 to 3 hours.
    1 point
  27. Yep, just got the email! I'll be running reports soon. Thanks!!
    1 point
  28. Fantastic, thanks for the recommendations! Look forward to meeting up with some of the central TX area pilots once I can actually fly the darn thing
    1 point
  29. Brian Lloyd hangs around San Marcos and lives in San Antonio - he just flew around the world in his Mooney. Bob Cabe, another great Mooney instructor, is in Universal City, about an hour from Austin.
    1 point
  30. Hum .... I wonder if the person with a "Modern Mooney" Rocket/K model Mooney was just "asking for a friend" who also has high CHT temps on take off and has ugly "guppy mouth" engine cowl opening on their "Modern" Mooney as well while gaining more speed. So they probably figured that David's Cowl Mod is so good that .... If David can do this awesome engine cowl mods on "Vintage Model Mooney's (pre-J Models)" ..... just wait see his retractable step mod on a modern Mooney's. It would be a walk in a park. or maybe just posted in the wrong thread. Helping you David with your spare time just in case you were bored need more stuff to do. Disclaimer: to be clear the Cynicism/ Sarcasm nature tone of my post was NOT direct at David or his Cowl Mod. On a more serious note: the Cowl mod reference it's gratitude that their someone out there willing help out us our CHT issues. However (stating the obvious) the adjectives use to describe the cowl mod was my cheap attempt to "suck up" so that I can get in the cue /line for the cowl mod potentially in the future.
    1 point
  31. Weigh everything and do the math. How much did the CG actually change? Easy inflight test: stabilize and trim, record airspeed. Slide seat all the way back, does trim change, and record new speed.
    1 point
  32. Had the same issue In a Cherokee. Turned out to be the alternator.
    1 point
  33. Dryer lint in a ziploc baggie is much better fire starter than cotton balls. Plus its both abundant and free . . . . And burns like nobody's business, right now!
    1 point
  34. I had a Houston Fire Department Captain jump in my truck and go "Dang dude you are ready for bear" It was for water stuff and looters, but you get the idea.
    1 point
  35. Hoppes #9 in the harbor freight ultrasonic parts cleaner works great.
    1 point
  36. I'll be flying some loads to Rockville tomorrow morning.
    1 point
  37. Once removed, ultrasonic cleaners seem to be effective on injectors.
    1 point
  38. I sense disinformation, unless you mean Almost Winter, Winter, Deep Freeze and Not Winter Right Now. . . . Did my time Up North, 5 years in Ohio and 9 more in WV, and I ain't leaving God's Country in a moving truck again! On the other hand, I have family in the Carolinas, right in the latest storm path prediction. May make a run to CAE this weekend and bring one back for a couple days. It's close enough I can go round-trip without fueling up, which will certainly make it easier. Ya'll be careful out there, ya hear?!
    1 point
  39. I'm no Albert Epstein, but I'm pretty sure your turbo-normalized 1975 M20F doesn't have a carb to drop. It's fuel injected.
    1 point
  40. The only missing would be a Stick as oppose to a yoke. you get rid of a lot mickey mouse linkage above nose wheel well. make ot more like the M20T Mooney Predator
    1 point
  41. I submitted a flight to Tucson yesterday as my validation flight. The report came back with a big red stripe that said I failed! It said that I didn't spend enough time in rule airspace. It only showed 16 min in rule airspace. I figured that this weekend I would go out and tool around in the 30 mile vale for a while and get it done. But then I got this E-Mail from the FAA out of the blue: We have cleared your reservation so you can proceed to the rebate claim. Please go to the Rebate Claim page (https://adsbrebate.faa.gov/RebateClaim.aspx) to complete your rebate request. You will need the Rebate Reservation Number XX-XXX-XXX provided in your Rebate Reservation confirmation email, but will not need an incentive code. ADS-B Rebate Program Office, Federal Aviation Administration http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/ Have questions? Get answers from our ADS-B Rebate Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/faq/ Read the Program Rules: http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/media/ADS-B_Rebate_Program_Rules.pdf So I guess there are people from the FAA who are here to help me! I went to the rebate page and it sailed right through!
    1 point
  42. if you have an engine monitor, you confirm both p-leads are intact every flight during your runup--when you see the EGT's rise in all cylinders on one mag, you confirm both p-leads are properly connected. Shutting off by ignition switch tests for failure in the ignition switch. Most of us have the 100 hr AD requiring the ignition switch be checked by switching to the off position firmly to check the engine shuts down. While it can be done by any pilot, I don't think this is important to check every single flight. I just check it at annual and maybe a couple random times in between. When I do, I don't turn the switch back to B--I've had one backfire that scared the bejesus out of me (even with the mixture aggressively leaned), and don't care to repeat it. I just shut down, do a quick hot start, and then shut down normally by mixture. Incidentally, with a fuel injection, the valve is before the fuel divider, meaning when you shut down, the fuel in the divider does leak out of the injectors as its heats up. Don Maxwell commented in his hot start YouTube video that this means all hot starts are in a sense flooded starts, but this does not go into the cylinders where it can wash off the cylinder oil. Realistically, though, I imagine we're talking about small amounts of fuel, but if you taxi with partial throttle and don't lean for taxi, it might be enough to cause problems.
    1 point
  43. Yes you can run too cold. Mike Busch has a talk about it as I recall ( though it might have been John Deakins). There's an additive in the fuel that helps the tetraethyl lead to go out the exhaust and not end up as deposits on valve stems and spark plugs. It works better at higher temperatures. So while you want CHT's lower than 400 degrees for sure, you don't want them as low as possible. It's the reason I think twice about loitering mode and consider lower RPM's to keep the CHT's up when I go to lower power.
    1 point
  44. Prior to pizza deliver boy, I was able to rehone my boat skills. This all started a week ago when we were on vacation in Crested Butte CO. We saw that water was predicted to go around the end of Addicks Dam. We have a house outside of the pool area. I have always told my wife if it comes around the end of the dam all bets are off. We packed up in and hour and left at 5pm and drove through the night to Brenham. I realized then there were not enough boats in Houston. I found a beater boat in College Station and went and purchased it. It got used for 2 days then the boat got left in one neighborhood with another captain for a day while I recovered a bit. Then we used it to grab stuff from another friends house.
    1 point
  45. Jim Rice, N10EX... Mooney makes the USAToday the right way! https://usat.ly/2gynvhZ Way to go Jim and everyone else like Jim that did and didn't get named or photographed. Jim is currently flying between Houston and Georgetown.... https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N10EX Best regards, -a-
    1 point
  46. Today I flew Bright & Claudia from Sequim to Bremerton for lunch. Bright stayed with us as an exchange student from Ghana, then came back & got his bachelors degree then a doctorate in physical therapy. Claudia in an RN. They both work in the Dallas area. They were scheduled to leave on a Caribbean cruise last Sunday from Galveston. Came to Seattle instead. I parked next to this Cutlass RG at Bremerton that the RG aparrently did not extend.
    1 point
  47. Finally had time to check the Bahamas - Bimini. Short trip this morning, had a can of Coke at the local restaurant and I was back home for lunch. Easy in and out. No issues at Opa Locka.
    1 point
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